Apparatus for delivering mail from cars.



PATENTED FEB. 24, 1903.-

'E. r. PYWELL. APPARATUS FOR DELIVERING MAIL FROM CARS.

APPIAIOA'IIO] FILED IAY'M, 1902.

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an my! y/red Wahwooe PATENTED FEB-24, 1903.

E. r. PYWELL, APPARATUS 1-"011 DELIVERING MAInrnoM CARS.

APPLICATION FILED I'AY 24, 1002.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWIN F. PYWELL, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE AUTOMATIC RAILWAY MAIL POUCH DELIVERY COMPANY, OF WASH- INGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, A CORPORATION OF SOUTH DAKOTA.

APPARATUS FOR DELIVERING MAILFROM CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 721,234, dated February 24, 1903. Application filed May 24, 1902. Serial No. 108,865. (No model.)

To all whom itmcty concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN.F. PYWELL, of Washington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Delivering Mail from Cars; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

In Letters Patent No. 693,167, issued February 11, 1902, on an application byRobert L. Slagle and myself,there is shown and described mechanism for delivering mail-pouches from [5 a moving train, such mechanism comprising a rod for holding'the ball end of a chain at a point above the car-roof,,.so that when the bar engages areceiver at the side of or above the track the ball and chain, together with the pouch to which the chain is secured, will be quickly and effectively removed from the car and held suspended by the receiver away from the track. I

Owing to the oscillation to which rapidlymoving trains are subjected, especially in rounding curves,it is a rule of the railroads not to allow anything to be located within what is known as the danger-linethat is, a space of about four feet on either side of the track.

0 The primary object of the present invention is to modify and improve the construction shown by said Letters Patent No. 693,167,

so that it will conform to the requirements of the railroads and insure the proper delivery of mail-pouches to receivers located away from the track outside of the danger-line, and a further object is to provide improved means for retaining the delivery-rod in its holder and permit of its easy removal and in 0 sertion.

The invention will be hereinafter fully set forth, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows the application of my invention to the side of a car, different positions of the delivery-rod being shown in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view. Fig. 3 is a view of the retaining-catch. Fig.

4 is an end view-of a car, showing the delivery-rod in engagement with the receiver.

I Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of the rod-holder. Fig. 6 shows in plan the relative arrangement of the receiver-rail to the car-track. Fig. 7 is a face view of the stationary part of the attachment.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a plate bolted or otherwise secured to the side of a car at one side of the door thereof. From the face of this plate projects a boss 2, beveled or inclined at its outer end, which latter is in the form of a fiat disk 3, nearer at its lower edge to the face of plate 1 than at its upper edge. In the upper portion of the face of this disk is an approximately semicircular raceway 4, and to one side thereof is a recess 5.

.7 is an axially-mounted head or disk fitted against the face of the stationary disk 3 and having a flange overlapping the periphery of such disk. This head at its center is fast on a shaft 8, which extends through openings in the boss, the plate 1, and the side of the car and is held as against falling outward by a nut 9. This shaft may be turned to partially rotate head 7 by a handle 10 within the car. The axial movements of the head are limited by a stud 12 on the inner face engaging the ends of the raceway 4.

7 On the outer face of the rotary head 7 is a socket 13, designed to receive the ball-andchain-holding rod 14., which latter is prevent ed from falling through theopen-ended socket when vertically disposed by a catch, shown in theform of a spring-pressed bolt 15, fitted 8 5 in a transverse opening in the head. This bolt is projected outward into the socket I when its inner end bears against the face of disk 3; but when the head is turned to one limit of movement to position the socket horio zontally and allow of the withdrawal or insertion of the rod the bolt, being then coincident with recess 5, will be retracted by its spring. Also mounted on the outer face of the rotaryhead is a holder, upon which the 5 mail-pouch is designed to be suspended preliminary to its delivery. This holder is shown in the form of a pivoted hook 16, whose free end is normally held against the head by a spring 17 and being located adjacent to the socket keeps the chain in alinement with the rod when not set for delivery that is, when the rod is lowered into a horizontal position and it prevents the pouch from being swung by the movement of the train.

On the inner end of the shaft Sis an indicator in the form of a plate 18, extended from a hub 19 and designed when the rod is set for a delivery to engage a spring-pressed catch 20 on the inside of the car. In turning the shaft and head this plate is free to ride over the beveled ends of the catch by a slight pressure.

By reason of the bevel of the face of the stationary disk the rod, mounted in head 7, will when turned for a delivery occupy an inclined or oblique position, throwing the ball end of the chain to one side of the car beyond the danger-line; but when the head is turned to lower the rod the latter will be drawn in parallel with the car, the socket then being horizontally disposed transversely of the inclined or beveled face of the stationary disk. By this arrangement the receiver 21 when in its normal lowermost position ready to be engaged by the chain-holding rod will be outside of the danger-line, and all difficulties consequent upon oscillation of the car, even on curves, are successfully avoided, and the mail-pouches may be effectively delivered without damage or danger.

I claim as my invention 1. The combination with a car, of a rotary head on the outside thereof mounted in a fixed plane relative to the car, means for rotating such head, a mail-pouch delivery-rod, and means for holding the latter to the head, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with a car, of a rotary head on the outside thereof mounted in a fixed plane divergent to the vertical plane of the car, means for rotating such head, a delivery-rod, and means for holding the latter to the head, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination with a car, of a rotary head on the outside thereof, means inside the car for rotating the head in a fixed plane divergent to the vertical plane of the car, a mail-pouch delivery-rod, and means forholding the latter to the head, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination with a car, of a rotary head on the outside thereof, means inside the car for rotating the head in a plane divergent to the vertical plane of the car, a socket on the outer face of said head, and a mail-pouch delivery-rod designed to be held in said socket so as to project angularly away from the side of the car, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination with a car, of a rotary head on the outside thereof, a shaft extending from said head through the car side,means for rotating the shaft and head, a stop for limiting such rotation, a socket carried by the head, and a mail-pouch delivery-rod designed to be held in said socket so as to project angularly away from the side of the car, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination with a car, of a stationary beveled disk on the outside thereof having a raceway in its face, a head pivoted to said disk having a lug movable in said raceway, a shaft for said head extended through the disk and the car side, means for rotating the shaft and head, a socket on said head, and a mail-pouch delivery-rod designed to be held in said socket so as to project angularly away from the side of the car, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination with a car, of a stationary beveled disk on the outside thereof, having a recess in its face, a head fitted to said disk having a socket on its outer face,a springpressed bolt extended through the head into said socket, said bolt being forced into the socket by engagement with the face of the disk and designed to be retracted by its spring when coincident with the recess, means for turning said head, and a mail-pouch deliveryrod designed to be held in said socket by said bolt, substantially as set forth.

8. The combination with the beveled disk and the spring-catch, of the head fitted to said disk, a rotary shaft for said head, a plate on said shaft for engaging said spring-catch,

means for turning the shaft, a socket on the outer face of the disk designed to hold a mailpouch delivery-rod, and a yielding holder for the mail-pouch mounted on the outer face of the head; substantially as set forth.

9. The combination with a car, of a pivotally-mounted head on the side thereof having a socket, a rod designed to be fitted in said socket, a mail-pouch, a rope or chain secured thereto and at its free end held by such rod, means for turning said head, a receiver movable with and divergently from such car and designed to be engaged by the rod, and means on the free end of the chain for engaging with said receiver and thereby removing the chain from the rod and the pouch from the car,substantially as set forth.

10. The combination with a car, of a pivotally-mounted head on the side thereof having a socket, a yielding hook mounted on the head, a rod designed to be fitted in said socket, a mail-pouch designed to be held by said hook, a rope or chain secured to the pouch and at its free end held by such rod, means for turning said head, a receiver movable with and divergently from such car and designed to be engaged by the rod, and means on the free end of the chain for engaging with said receiver and thereby removing the chain from the rod and the pouch from its hook, su bstantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ED WIN F. PYWELL.

Witnesses:

GRAFTON L. MoGILL, FRANCIS S. MAGUIRE.

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